To be fair, I still woke up at 6:30 before everyone else. In place of doing all the kid things, I got the groceries sorted. Yes, true joy in walking the aisles of the grocery store, sipping my coffee in peace.
The healthy crispy chicken sandwich
Homemade breaded chicken isn’t always easy. Too often the coating is too soggy, as the moisture from the chicken makes it too wet in the oven. Equally, people rush it by breading the chicken and tossing it the oven.
Now, if you are actually hoping to deep-fry chicken, check out this site for their method. But, I didn’t want to deep-fry the chicken, I wanted something a bit healthier.
My solution was to take the features of recipes I’ve tried before, that I liked, and mash them together. Wow did it work.
First I took a queue from my days of living with a Texan at uni, and made sure the chicken breasts were both butterflied and marinated. Rather than buttermilk, I used Greek yogurt with lemon juice and spices. A good 6 hours later, the Chicken was ready for coating.
I had tried breadcrumbs, but the consistency always seemed to vary and never with a crunch. Instead, I used a combination of lightly crushed corn flakes with flour, and some spices. Coated them, lay them out on a pan and then into an oven at 180c for 25min, flipping after 15min.
In the remaining 15 min, for a bit of added flavour, I mixed some melted butter with spices and a drop of maple syrup and brushed it over top. Granted, not really needed if you want to be healthier.
To assembly, a good bun, lettuce, tomato, bacon and a bit of mayo (or greek yogurt with some siracha sauce would give it a zing) topped with the chicken. D was very happy with the results.
Pairings
Drinks: Goes great with a cold pilsner.
Healthy Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 kg Boneless chicken breasts or thighs skinless
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 Lemon Juice and zest
- 1 teaspoon Hot smoked paprika
- 2 1/4 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 3 cups Crushed corn flakes
- 3 tablespoon Whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon Chopped fresh thyme
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Maple syrup
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a gallon size zip top bag. Pour the yogurt, salt, lemon juice and zest, 2 tablespoons garlic powder and ½ teaspoon paprika over the chicken. Toss well, cover and refrigerate 60 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Add the crushed corn flake, flour, thyme, and a pinch of salt to a clean bowl. Stir to combine.
- Remove each piece of chicken from the yoghurt, and dredge through the crumbs. Gently press to ensure the mix sticks! Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. If you are going to freeze, do this now and then bag. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets. Transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, then flip the chicken over and continue cooking another 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. If using thighs, you may need to cook the chicken a little longer.
- If you want it to taste a treat, make the hot butter for the last 15 minutes. Melt together the butter, maple syrup, and the rest of the paprika and garlic powder with a pinch of salt.
- Brush the chicken generously with hot butter and return to the oven for those final 15 minutes.
- Make your sandwich with a good butter bun, mayo (or Greek yogurt spread), bacon, tomato, red onion and lettuce. Enjoy!
Your instructions in the actual recipe and the outline of the recipe in the paragraph are different. Not only time, but with temperature, varying by 100 degrees Farenheit…
Yikes, you’re right! I’ve changed it now!
It looks like that Texan taught you well, Matt! This chicken sandwich looks absolutely phenomenal, and I had to stop by to see the recipe. I love how you made a healthy version…and putting this one on a sandwich was the right call. I’m all about this one for dinner. And as a Dad myself, I totally get the value of a morning. That’s the best gift ever!